Die for wire-fence machines.



mag/L 49 J. HARRIS.

DIE FOR WIRE FENCE MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 17,1908.-

932, 122. Patented Aug. 24. 1909.

2X 1 M eases .9. Km V m JAMES HARRIS, F JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T0 J'ANESVILLE BARB WIRE COMPANY, A

CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

DIE FOR- WIRE-FENCE MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

Application filed June 17, 1908. Serial No. 438,883.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES HARRIs, of Jancsville, Wisconsin, have invented a Die for W'ireFence Machines, of which the fola lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to wire-fence machines and wire-working machines in general, and has for its object to provide an improved form of gripping-die such as is used in gripping stay-wires and strand-wires and holding them in position while the stay-wires are being coiled.

The invention has particular reference to the construction of wire-fence described in the patent to August G. Hoefer No. 710,913, dated Oct. 7, 1902, and the machine for making the same described in the patent to A. (3., F. and E. A. I-Ioefer, No. 804,846, issued Nov. 21, 1905, and I aim to provide an improvement in the lower gripping-die, shown in Fig. 9, of said Patent No. 804,846. In my experience with this machine I have found that some difficulty is presented in the proper working of the gripping-dies owing to slight variation in gage or diameter of the wire. As is well known, any given length of wire is not uniformly of the same diameter, as the drawing dies gradually wear larger, so that in a single coil the wire will be smaller at one end than at the other, and in different coils the wire will vary in size within certain limits. Owing to the fact that the strand-wire must be gripped independently of the stay-wires, and at the same time the stay-wires held firmly in position upon the strand wire and transversely thereto, a practical problem is presented by this variation in gage, since if the distance between the dies when closed is set to correspond to the maximum diameter of staywire, then the wires will be loose and will not be held firmly when they are of less diameter; and if on the other hand the dies are set to grip the minimum diameter of stay-wire, then when a larger diameter is presented the effect will be to dent or impress a constriction in the strand-wire on either side thereof, which dent or constriction occurs at the very apex of the crimp which is put in by the action of the die; and which dent or constriction has the well-known effect of weakening the wire at this point, so that it frequently breaks there while the fence is being set up and the strands are under tension. A yielding mounting for the die as a whole could not avoid this, since the strand wires and stay-wires must be held independently by the dies, consequently when the strandwire is held the stay-wires might be loose and vice versa. In my present invention therefore I aim to avoid these difliculties and provide an improved form of gripping-dies which shall independently and firmly rip both stay-wires and strand-wires, w iile allowing for such variations in gage as occur, and without indenting the strand-wire.

My invention consists of the constructions and combinations hereinafter described and particularly set forth in my claims.

Referring to the drawings accompanying this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pair of gripping-dies according to my improved construction, showing the strand and stay-wires gripped between them, the latter being cut off at the surface of the dies; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the same on the line 22; Fig. 3 is a plan elevation on a somewhat larger scale of the lower die separately Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the same and Fig. 5 is a perspective on an enlarged scale of a separate springabutment piece. The spring mounting shown in Fig. 4 differs slightly from that in Figs. 1 and 2 but the principle of construc tion is the same.

In these drawings every reference letter and numeral refers always to the same part.

In these drawings, the lower die is designated a and the upper die I), the latter being the same as shown in the aforesaid Patent No. 804,846. The change in construction" is in the lower die only. The strand-wire is shown at c and the stay-wires at d and e in position for coiling. Each die has its upper edge longitudinally grooved, as at a, b, to receive and hold. the strand-wire c, and at the center of the two active edges there is a recess a in the lower die, and a corresponding projection b in the upper die, which cooperate to form the crimp c at the junction of strand and stay, the object of such crimp being more particularly to hold the stay against longitudinal movement on the strand and secondarily also to provide elasticity in the tension of the strand. Each die has furthermore at the center of its active edge a transverse notch a 6 which receive the stays d and 6 respectively. Thus far the construction is substantially the same as already described in the aforesaid Patent No. 804,846.

Now to provide for holding the stay upon the strand through a slight variation of gage,

I provide at the center of one of the dies, which might conceivably be either one but is preferably the lower die a as shown, a reciprocating pin f, which is set to move easily in an axial hole in the die as shown, its opposite end projecting into a slot (1 cut in the shank of the die at any convenient point below the head thereof; and on said projecting end is mounted an abutment-piece g, which receives one end of a spring h, the other end of which fits over a boss a on the opposite end of the slot a 'In Figs. 4 and 5 this is shown as a separate abutment-piece i similar in form to the abutment-piece g and provided with a pin (which may be separate or integral therewith) fitting in a hole a formed by a continuation of the bore in which fits the pin f. The ends of the slot (0 may be more easily made round as shown in Fig. 9: than square, wherefore the abutment-pieces g and i are correspondingly shaped, but this is a nonessential mechanical detail. The hole in the abutment-piece g which receives the end of the pin f does not go all the way through, and the pin f presses upon the bottom thereof, the length of the pin f being such as to project into the transverse notch a a sulfi: cient distance so that the stay-wire (Z when in place therein depresses the same and consequently brings the spring h into action. The spring h is made of sufficient strength and is placed under sufficient compression so that it :will hold the wire (Z firmly in place upon the strand-wire c with the proper force. T he upper stay-wire (2 will be sufficiently held against the strand-wire by the pressure necessary to crimp the latter, as well as by pressure of the pin f acting through the strand-wire upon the bottom of the notch If.

Various changes and modifications in the construction as herein shown may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I wish it understood therefore that the latter is not otherwise limited. than by the reasonable scope of my claims.

Having thus described. my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A wire-gripping die having a workingl l l l 1 l l face provided with a longitudinal groove adapted to receive a wire and a transverse notch adapted to receive a transverse wire, a pin mounted axially in said die, the end whereof projects into said notch, an abnt inent-piece mounted on the opposite end of said pin in a slot in the shank of said die, and a spring mounted in said slot and pressing upon said abutment-piece.

2. A wire-gripping die having a workingface provided with a longitudinal groove adapted to receive a wire and a trai'isverse notch adapted to receive a transverse wire, a pin mounted axially in said die, the end whereof projects into said notch, an abutment-piece mounted. on the opposite end of said pin in a slot in the shank of said die, and a coiled compression spring mounted in said slot one end whereof abuts against the bottom of said slot and the opposite end against said abutment-piece.

3. A gripping-die for wire-working machines, having a flat working-edge provided with a longitudinal groove and a recess at the center thereof, there being also a transverse notch at the bottom of said recess, said die having a further slot in the shank thereof, a pin slidably mounted in a hole bored axially in said die, one end of said pin projecting into said notch and the other end of said pin projecting witl'iin said slot, an abutment-piece mounted on the projecting end of said pin within said slot, a boss at the opposite end of said slot, and a coiled compression-spring having one end mounted on said boss and the other en d pressing against said abutmentpiece.

l. A gripping die for a wire working machine having an active face adapted to hold and crimp the strand-wire, said die being provided with a transverse notch at the center of said face adapted to receive a stay-wire, also having a slot in the body thereof back of said active face and being formed with a bore extending axially of the die between said slot and notch, a pin mounted to reciprocate in said bore, and a spring in the said slot yield ingly pressing forward said pin.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of June, 1.908.

JAMES HARRIS.

Witnesses:

F. A. CAPELLE, A. J. HARRIS. 

